ATS keywords for a bookkeeper resume
Many employers keep applications in an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), where recruiters search and sort them by the skills the role needs. Use these terms where they honestly describe your experience, so your resume is easy to find and easy to read:
Key skills to highlight
- ▸Maintaining accurate ledgers and reconciliations
- ▸Processing accounts payable and receivable
- ▸Running payroll and Single Touch Payroll
- ▸Preparing BAS and GST
- ▸End-of-month and reporting support
Credentials Australian employers screen for
- ▸Certificate IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping or equivalent
- ▸Registered BAS Agent status (TPB) where held
- ▸Software certification (Xero, MYOB) and proficiency
- ▸Payroll and Single Touch Payroll experience
Common mistakes to avoid
- ▸Not naming the accounting software, the primary screening filter.
- ▸Listing duties without the scale (entities, transactions, payroll size).
- ▸Omitting BAS agent status where it is relevant.
- ▸A generic resume rather than mirroring the job ad's systems.
Bookkeeper CV example: before and after
One experience entry, written twice. The numbers are illustrative, the structure is what matters.
Before
Bookkeeper, 2019 to present. Responsible for the day to day bookkeeping. Enter invoices, process payments, reconcile accounts and run payroll. Assist the accountant with end of month reporting and lodge BAS.
The screening software matches on exact product names and nothing here ever becomes Xero or MYOB, so the primary filter fails; the hiring manager also cannot tell whether this is one small entity or a book of twenty clients.
After
Bookkeeper | Registered BAS Agent, TPB registration 00000XXX | Certificate IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping | Xero certified, MYOB proficient
Suburban bookkeeping practice servicing trades, hospitality and allied health clients | July 2019 to present | Full time
- ▸Maintained the general ledger for 18 client entities, 12 in Xero and 6 in MYOB, processing roughly 1,400 accounts payable and accounts receivable transactions a month.
- ▸Owned bank reconciliations across 26 accounts including three credit card and two loan facilities, cleared weekly so no client reached end of month with unreconciled items.
- ▸Ran fortnightly and monthly payroll for a combined headcount of 210, covering award interpretation, superannuation and Single Touch Payroll reporting to the ATO.
- ▸Prepared and lodged quarterly BAS and GST for all 18 entities as a registered BAS agent, plus instalment activity statements and annual payroll reconciliations.
- ▸Delivered end of month packs (profit and loss, balance sheet, aged receivables) to each client within five business days, which cut the external accountant's year-end query list by about half.
Naming the actual software, the BAS agent registration and the size of the book (18 entities, 210 payroll headcount, 1,400 transactions a month) turns an interchangeable duty list into a measurable workload.
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Frequently asked questions
Which software should a bookkeeper list?
Name the systems the job ad calls for first, usually Xero or MYOB, with your certification and proficiency. ATS matches on the exact product names.
Do I need to be a registered BAS agent?
For lodging BAS on behalf of clients, yes, BAS agent registration with the Tax Practitioners Board is required. State it where you hold it.
How do I quantify bookkeeping experience?
Use scale: number of entities or clients, transaction volume, payroll headcount, and reporting cycles owned. Numbers separate you from a duty list.
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